Ben Wright (Para-powerlifting) put in a performance to be proud of at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Following the disqualification of the Indian gold medallist due to an anti-doping violation, Wright was elevated to the podium for the heavyweight para-powerlifting, claiming the bronze medal and setting a new national and Oceania record of 190kg in the process.

The Perth-born and based West Australian was just the second Australian after Leigh Skinner to compete in powerlifting at three Commonwealth Games. Wright made his debut at Glasgow 2014 where he finished 10th in the heavyweight division. A sixth-place finish on the Gold Coast four years later wasn’t the result he was hoping for after suffering a seizure when he was asleep 10 weeks before competition which resulted in compression fractures in four of his vertebrae. Wright, a full-time draftsman in Perth, was born with spina bifida and competed in wheelchair basketball and athletics (shot put, discus) as a junior. He started powerlifting in 2012 when he attended a “come-and-try day” and pressed 80kg, a near national record for his age and weight class. A three-time Australian champion, Wright is also the Oceania record holder in two weight classes (80kg and 88kg).